Work and Occupations
Volume 31, Issue 4, 2004, Pages 474-498

Immigrants and the healthcare workforce: Profiles and shortages (Review)

Lowell B.L.* , Gerova S.G.
  • a Georgetown University, New York, NY, United States, Department of Policy Studies, Inst. for Stud. of Intl. Migration, Georgetown University, New York, NY, United States
  • b Georgetown University, New York, NY, United States, Georgetown Univ. Sch. of For. Serv., Guyana

Abstract

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that healthcare services will account for one out of every (six new jobs from 2002 to 2012. Immigrants are a significant percentage of workers in both high-skill and low-skill jobs (one fourth of both physicians and nursing aides) in the healthcare industry. Within this industry, immigrants are at least as important in meeting demand for low-skilled jobs as they are for the more hotly debated upper end. Even so, the authors' findings suggest that recent wage increases are attracting more registered nurses, offsetting claims of shortages in the short term. Immigration policy should be flexible to meet short-term shifts in demand, but it should not preempt domestic responses.

Author Keywords

Medical workforce Labor force healthcare immigrants

Index Keywords

[No Keywords available]
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-8644222267&doi=10.1177%2f0730888404268916&partnerID=40&md5=f6c9cb5ff0accb50f5281b09e472543d
DOI: 10.1177/0730888404268916
ISSN: 07308884
Cited by: 18
Original Language: English